Why are 1/43 Scale Models so Pricey

[Mooneyzs]

I have a handful or two of 1/43 resin kits and I am a big fan of the Provence Moulage kits. I have paid anywhere from $35.00 to a tad over $100 (but the one over 100 was a dual kit so it made each a little cheaper) depending on the kit. Some are hard to come by So some of them I have been a little more willing to pay a little more. I have been eyeing two of the Provence Moulage High detail kits on Ebay the XJR12 Silk Cut Jag and and Aston Martin DBR 9 Gulf colors.... But that $300 price tag is a bit too much for me and can't get myself to pull the trigger.

I don't know what it is with 1/43rd scale kits for me but they fascinate me and have been a fan ever since I build my first one.

[highway]

I bought this kit probably 10 years ago for somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 to $25. 

I'm not 100% sure, but it is at least very similar if it isn't a Heller reboxing of the old AMT 1/43 scale semis like this one currently on eBay with a "Buy it Now" price of $59.99. 

I'm sure that some probably think the $20 or so was steep for the Heller, and $60 is insane for the old AMT, but as many has said, some of these small scale kits pack a big punch in detail in a small package. The AMT as does my Heller (the reason I think it may be the old AMT molds, also saved a pic of the box contents of the AMT to compare to the Heller when I have more time) has just as many and if not more parts as their 1/25th scale counterparts and even include engines just as the 1/25th scale version does. 

In my opinion, especially for those of us who build big rigs but may have space constraints, even the $60 for the AMT on eBay is not bad considering that the same combination of the Pete 359 "California Hauler" kit recently reissued and the Freuhauf van released a few years ago are probably running around $30 a piece (if you can still find a trailer on a shelf somewhere) and the 1/43rd scale has the same level of detail as their bigger brothers and takes up much less space.